The event, which will be held the day before the Department of Energy’s Annual Merit Review, will bring together key federal and state policymakers, including the Department of Energy and White House, as well as the broader environmental, transportation, and energy communities to raise awareness of the benefits of fuel cell and hydrogen technology.

Announcing our new partner:

We are proud to have the U.S. Department of Energy participate in America's leading fuel cell and hydrogen event of the year!

Visit our website for more information, and to sign up for our mailing list for registration and agenda updates.

On March 23, President Trump signed into law an omnibus spending bill for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018.

The agreement funds the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Program to the tune of $115 million, which exceeds Fiscal Year 2017's appropriation of $101 million, and is over twice the amount of $45 million that the White House requested its budget proposal.

In addition, the bill allocates $30 million to DOE's solid oxide fuel cell program within the Office of Fossil Energy. This amount is consistent with previous years' funding, and vastly exceeds the $3 million requested by the White House for 2018.

FCHEA thanks all of our member companies and associates for their help in advocating for robust funding of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Office of Fossil Energy. We also are grateful to our supporters in Congress for their bipartisan efforts in getting this funding package completed.

FCHEA Testifies to Congress in Support of Fuel Cell Transportation Tax Credits

On March 14, FCHEA President Morry Markowitz testified at a public hearing held by the Tax Policy Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee on recently expired federal tax incentives.

In his testimony, Mr. Markowitz highlighted the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and the need to reinstate the equitable incentives thorough a "technology neutral" approach, as opposed to the current tax code which benefits only certain types of zero-emission vehicles.

FCHEA President Morry Markowitz testifies before the Subcommittee, March 14, 2018.

Following his oral testimony, Mr. Markowitz answered questions from the Subcommittee Chairman Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16) and Congressman John Larson (D-CT-1). FCHEA will continue to work with its member companies, industry partners, and members of Congress to reinstate these crucial FCV tax credits.

Click
here to read Mr. Markowitz's testimony to the Subcommittee, and click
here for a video clip of Mr. Markowitz delivering his testimony.

On February 21 in East Hartford, Representative John Larson (D-CT-01) joined the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), Doosan Fuel Cell America, and FuelCell Energy to applaud the ITC reinstatement and its benefit to the state's fuel cell industry. Larson is a co-chair of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and was a forceful advocate for reinstating the ITC. He also cosponsored HR 1090, which sought to reinstate the ITC last year.

Representative Larson (front, fourth from left) with FCHEA members at CCAT's headquarters. Source: Office of Representative John B. Larson

Also on February 21, FuelCell Energy announced a recent visit by Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) to their North American manufacturing facility in Torrington. Blumenthal is a co-chair of the Senate Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, and also a vocal supporter of equitable tax treatment for fuel cells.

While at the facility, Senator Blumenthal expressed his continued support of the fuel cell industry for Connecticut and the United States, and praised the ITC reinstatement as well.

On March 1, FuelCell Energy announced that it will install two SureSource 3000 fuel cells at the Bakersfield, California manufacturing site of Campbell Soup Company. The fuel cell systems will generate a total of 5 MW of power at the facility, home of Campbell's Bolthouse Farms brand beverages, carrots, and dressings.

FuelCell Energy will provide engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The combined heat and power fuel cell system will generate electricity and steam for the Bakersfield facility.

The new installations will increase Campbell's fuel cell portfolio to 7.6 MW, with previous FuelCell Energy systems at its Bloomfield, Connecticut bakery generating 2.6 MW of power for nearly a decade.

On February 27, FCHEA member Linde North America opened a new hydrogen station for fuel cell vehicles in Mountain View, California. This is Linde's fourth facility in California, and the state's 32nd retail hydrogen station.

The station is open to the public daily from 6 AM to 10 PM, in accordance with regulations set by the City of Mountain View.

On February 21, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved more than $2 million for the operation and maintenance of 16 existing retail hydrogen fueling stations across the state. The funds come from the CEC's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which invests in advanced alternative and renewable fuels and vehicle technologies.

ARPA-E Announces $16 Million for Several New Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Projects

On March 13, the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Projects Research Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $16 million in funding for eight projects as part of the Innovative Natural-gas Technologies for Efficiency Gain in Reliable and Affordable Thermochemical Electricity-generation (INTEGRATE) program. Of the announced projects, seven of them will receive $15 million to develop hybrid power systems with solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks.

The funding recipients for SOFC projects are: the Colorado School of Mines; Stony Brook University; Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics, Inc.; Nexceris, LLC; Washington State University; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and FCHEA member FuelCell Energy, which received $3.1 million to develop an "Adaptive SOFC for Ultra High Efficiency Power Systems."

On March 14, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy announced the selection of two solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) research and development projects to receive $2.8 million in funding. The selected projects are advancing to Phase II after they were chosen from Phase I awards made under the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Core Technology and Innovative Concepts funding opportunity announcement, which was issued in fiscal year 2015.

The Phase II projects were selected from recipients of the Core Technology topic area. Selected projects will culminate in testing technology advancements at the system level by participating SOFC manufacturer partners. The projects will advance SOFC technology and make progress toward enabling cost-competitive fossil-based power generation with near-zero emission.

The project recipients are Mohawk Innovative Technology and the West Virginia University Research Corporation. Both projects will be managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, an FCHEA member.

Click
here for the full announcement from the Office of Fossil Energy.

Shell Helping to Build Canada's First Hydrogen Station in Vancouver

On March 15, the Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC) announced that it is building Canada's first retail hydrogen fueling station with FCHEA member Shell. The station will be located in Vancouver, and according to HTEC, is set to open later this year.

This will be the first in a six-station network HTEC is building in the Greater Vancouver and Victoria areas, to enable the deployment of the first 1,000 fuel cell vehicles (FCV) in Canada. HTEC says that they will build out British Columbia’s (BC) retail hydrogen fueling network over the next 18 months, along with a clean hydrogen fuel generation facility, to support this FCV deployment goal.

On March 5, Germany's newest hydrogen fueling station opened in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The station was developed by FCHEA member Air Liquide, joint H2 Mobility joint venture, and Total. The hydrogen fuel for the station comes from Air Liquide, and allows for refueling of about 40 fuel cell vehicles per day.

The Ingolstadt station is Bavaria's 8th retail hydrogen fueling facility, bringing the total in Germany to 43. Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) supported the station with 700,000 euros (about $870,000) through its National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.

Representatives from Air Liquide, H2 Mobility, and Total at the Ingolstadt hydrogen station. Source: H2 Mobility

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) recently released several documents on adopting hydrogen fuel cell technologies in Connecticut and the Northeast.

CCAT's Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster released 2018 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development Plans for each state in the Northeast (Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New York, and New Jersey). The plans are updates to previous versions released in 2012 and 2015, and are supported in part by the United States Small Business Administration.

According to CCAT, the intent of the Development Plans is to make available information regarding the economic value and deployment opportunities to increase environmental performance and energy reliability using hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

The 2018 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development Plan covers for each Northeast state.

Click
here to view the 2018 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development Plans for each Northeast state.

Hydrogen Council Adds Eleven New Members

On March 13, the Hydrogen Council welcomed eleven new international companies to its membership, nearly doubling the Council's size. According to the Hydrogen Council, their membership now covers all key markets for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, with members across the industry supply chain.

On March 12, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut's 5th District visited FuelCell Energy's manufacturing facility in Torrington, Connecticut. While there, Congresswoman Esty expressed her continued support for the fuel cell industry.

On February 28, Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) announced a patented hydrogen refueling method developed by Argonne researchers.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office, the new method can significantly reduce the size of a hydrogen compressor while meeting increased demand at refueling stations from fuel cell vehicles.

The new method, which hydrogen suppliers can now license, was supported with a $749,000 grant from DOE's Office of Technology Transitions Commercialization Fund. Argonne's Amgad Elgowainy and Krishna Reddi led the development of the new refueling method, partnering with FirstElement Fuel and FCHEA member PDC Machines.

On March 7, FuelCell Energy issued a press release celebrating the extension of the federal carbon sequestration tax credit, included in last month's Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

Known as the 45Q tax credit, this provision will give a credit of up to $50 per metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is sequestered, and up to $35 per metric ton of CO2 that is re-utilized. Businesses will have 12 years to take advantage of these tax credits, and no limit exists on the amount of CO2 that can be sequestered or re-used. The original carbon sequestration credit was established in 2009, and provided $10 per metric ton of sequestered CO2 at a cap of 75 million metric tons.

In its press release, FuelCell Energy notes that the extended tax credit should significantly accelerate adoption of carbon capture fuel cell technologies the company has developed.

On March 6, FCHEA member Hyundai debuted its NEXO fuel cell vehicle (FCV) at the 88th Geneva Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland. According to
Auto News Europe, the hydrogen powered SUV will
go on sale in South Korea later this month, followed by a European launch this summer, and finally the United States and Canada in the 4th Quarter of 2018.

Pricing information for NEXO will be announced closer to its on-sale date, but according to Dong Geun Lee, NEXO's product manager, it will be priced "competitively" with the Toyota Mirai FCV.

On March 13, FCHEA member Toyota delivered a fleet of 11 Mirai fuel cell vehicles (FCV) to the London Metropolitan Police Service (the Met). The Mirais will be used as marked and unmarked Met vehicles, making the Met run the world's largest police fleet of FCVs.

The Met will be able to refuel their Mirais at one of London's five open hydrogen stations, with more facilities planned to open in the coming months.

According to the Met's commander, Neil Jerome, the 11 Mirais will help the Met reach its goal of procuring 550 zero- or ultra-low-emission vehicles by 2020.

Two of the Met's new Mirai FCVs at an Air Products hydrogen station in London. Source: Toyota Great Britain

Click
here for more coverage of the Met's new Mirai fleet from
Fleet News.

Japan to Open the Country's 100th Hydrogen Station this Spring

On March 23, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that eight new hydrogen fueling stations will open for retail use this spring. This will bring the total number of stations in Japan to 100, the highest in the world.

According to
Kyodo News, the eight new stations will open in Japan's Hokkaido, Fukushima, Kanagawa, Gifu, and Okayama Prefectures. The Japanese government continues to support a goal of having about 40,000 fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2020, and is working with the new Japan H2 Mobility joint venture to construct a total of 160 hydrogen stations by Fiscal Year 2021.

Air Products to Provide Dispensers for Chinese Hydrogen Fueling Station

On March 19, FCHEA member Air Products announced an agreement with Chinese state-owned Chinese Energy Investment Group Co. to provide two hydrogen dispensers for China Energy’s first commercial hydrogen fueling station in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province.

According to Air Products, the station will be one of the largest in China by fueling capacity, and is expected to be completed in mid-2018.

As part of its efforts to support China’s hydrogen energy industry, Air Products also announced it has joined the National Alliance of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (NAHFC) organization, which was co-initiated by China Energy and officially established in Beijing in February.

On March 12, the Canadian Province of Ontario announced that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have been added to its Ministry of Transportation's Electric Vehicles Incentive Program, which has now been renamed the Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program (EVHIP).

Rebate incentives of up to 14,000 CAD (about $10,800) will be provided for eligible FCVs purchased or leased by individuals, businesses, municipal governments, and non-profit organizations in Ontario.

To learn more about the EVHIP and new FCV incentives, click
here for the full announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Japanese Companies Announce Joint Venture for Hydrogen Station Deployment

On March 5, eleven Japanese automakers, infrastructure developers, and investment firms announced a new joint venture to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen stations in Japan. The joint venture, called Japan H2 Mobility (JHyM), aims to build an additional 80 hydrogen stations in Japan by Fiscal Year 2021 for a total of 160 nationwide. In addition, the new company will work to improve the efficiency of hydrogen station operation for fuel cell vehicle owners.

Among the founding companies of JHyM are FCHEA members Air Liquide, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. JHyM will officially begin its operations in April, and will seek more companies to join the joint venture.

Representatives from the founding companies of JHyM announce the joint venture at a press conference in Tokyo. Source: JHyM

Click
here for the full press release from Nissan. JHyM's press conference presentation on their goals for hydrogen station deployment can be viewed in English
here.

Government of the Netherlands to Invest $18.5 Million in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Transportation

On March 19, the Government of the Netherlands announced a €300 million (about $371 million) investment in a series of measures to reduce carbon emissions around the country.

Included in the investment are €15 million (about $18.5 million) for the further deployment of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans, trucks, and buses, along with the construction of seven new hydrogen fueling stations this year.

According to the government, the Netherlands will invest €300 million a year through 2030 to help achieve its goal of 49% lower carbon emissions.

Click
here for the full press release from the Government of the Netherlands.

Toyota Deploys More Fuel Cell Forklifts to Japanese Factory﻿

On March 16, Toyota announced that it has deployed twenty fuel cell forklifts to its Motomachi automobile factory in Toyota City, Japan. Toyota has also built a hydrogen station at the manufacturing plant to fuel the forklifts. The new forklifts were deployed with support from Japan's Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The new fuel cell forklifts add to the two deployed at the Motomachi plant in January of 2017, for a total of twenty-two. In order to achieve Toyota's Plant Zero CO2 Emissions Challenge, the company intends to continue to replace existing conventional forklifts with fuel cell forklifts. Toyota has a goal of deploying a total of 170 to 180 fuel cell forklifts to the Motomachi Plant by around 2020. In addition, Toyota will deploy fuel cell industrial vehicles at other manufacturing facilities.

On February 22, Kathryn McGarry, Ontario's Minister of Transportation released a feasibility study on using hydrogen fuel cell powered trains for the Canadian province's rail network. As Ontario begins the process of expanding its GO Network and UP Express rail services, the study found that it would feasible to use hydrogen-powered trains at a cost comparable to conventional electrification using overhead wires.

Ontario is engaging with train manufacturers Alstom and Siemens to produce concept designs that incorporate fuel cells into bi-level trains. In addition, the province is issuing a request for proposals for designs for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered locomotive, which could lead to a prototype rail vehicle that would be tested on the GO rail network.

Click herefor the full press release from the Ontario provincial government.

Japan Considers Easing Safety Regulations to Expand Hydrogen Stations

On February 21, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will consider relaxing regulations under its fire safety law that hamper the installation of hydrogen stations for fuel cell vehicles (FCV), along with charging stations for battery electric vehicles.

Under current regulations, hydrogen dispensers must be located at least 10 meters (about 33 feet) away from a gas pump. This rule severely limits how many hydrogen fueling dispensers can be located at smaller stations.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, METI is looking at revising the standards to let gas stations set up hydrogen dispensers and electric charging terminals alongside pumps, regardless of space. The code would be relaxed on a trial basis while monitoring safety, with pilot programs likely to be conducted in special deregulation zones.

METI will set up a study group that includes representatives from the oil and gas industries, and field opinions from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and retailers. The ministry will publish a course of action by May, with the aim of loosening restrictions as soon as fiscal year 2019.

On February 26, myFC announced that it was granted a new key patent in India for its LAMINA fuel cell product. According to myFC, the patent specifically covers variants for embedding cells in the chassis-bearing structure which allows for the thin, flexible and flexible design of the fuel cell.

In addition, on March 19, myFC announced that the Swedish Patent Office will issue the company two new patents for its proprietary liquid hydrogen fuel.

According to myFC, the first patent applies to the spaces in its fuel cartridge where the two chemical reactants for the fuel are stored, the mixing tank where one reactant is dissolved in water, and the chamber where the reaction occurs and hydrogen is formed.

The second patent relates to how the water-soluble reactant is distributed into the reactor chamber, with the help of a special film and capillary pressure.

The event, which will be held the day before the Department of Energy’s Annual Merit Review, will bring together key federal and state policymakers, including the Department of Energy and White House, as well as the broader environmental, transportation, and energy communities to raise awareness of the benefits of fuel cell and hydrogen technology.

Announcing our new partner:

We are proud to have the U.S. Department of Energy participate in America's leading fuel cell and hydrogen event of the year!

Visit our website for more information, and to sign up for our mailing list for registration and agenda updates.

The TechConnect World Innovation Conference is an annual event which gathers 4,000+ attendees and is uniquely designed to accelerate the commercialization of innovations out of the lab and into industry. The Technical Program spotlights applications focused innovations, materials and devices emerging from industrial, government and academic laboratories worldwide. As part of the Technical Program, the Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Symposium will highlight innovations in materials and devices which will enable development and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cells with the ultimate goals of decreasing our dependence on oil, reducing carbon emissions, and enabling clean, reliable power generation.

The Innovation Partnering Program gathers market-ready, commercially-viable, innovations into the largest global technology accelerator program. The TechConnect World Innovation event encompasses the 2018 SBIR/STTR National Conference, and Nanotech2018 - the world's largest nanotechnology event.

Join the brightest and most productive innovators, funding agencies, national and federal labs, international research organizations, universities, tech transfer offices and investment and corporate partners in Anaheim, CA.

The National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) is currently funding the construction of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations in road transport.

The funding amounts to 60 percent of the refueling station's investment costs and can include the building of an electrolyzer for the generation of green hydrogen. Funding applications may be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) until March 31, 2018.

The new funding call is part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (2016-2026) - or NIP 2 - under the market activation funding guideline. The BMVI is allocating 250 million euro (about $296 million) in all for research, development and innovation as well as market activation measures until 2019.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has issued a request for proposals to procure up to 899,250 MWh/year of renewable energy and associated Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from offshore wind, fuel cell, and anaerobic digestion renewable energy resources, pursuant to long-term contracts of up to 20 years.

Class 1 fuel cell systems with a minimum output of 2 MW and maximum output of 20 MW are eligible under this proposal. Class 1 fuel cell systems with combined heat and power are eligible with a minimum output of 2 MW and no maximum output limit.

Bidders must submit completed proposals to DEEP by April 2, 2018. Connecticut will announce winning bids in June 2018.

Click here for the full RFP notice from DEEP, which includes submission instructions.

FCH JU Call 2018 Open for Submission

The new Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) call for proposals is now open, featuring 20 topics in view of developing research and demonstration in fuel cells and hydrogen, with a budget of €73.2 million (about $89.6 million) available. The financial support will be divided between activities from different areas of research and innovation for each of the transport and energy pillars, as well as overarching and cross-cutting activities.

The deadline for submission of proposals is April 24, 2018.

Click here for more information and instructions on how to submit a proposal.

Connecticut DEEP Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure Development Program for New Haven Area Hydrogen Refueling Station

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), in partnership with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), are accepting proposals for a "Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure Development" (H2Fuels Grant) Program to promote the use of fuel cell vehicles.

The H2Fuels Grant Program will award up to $840,000 to a qualified vendor to establish, operate and maintain a retail hydrogen fueling station in the New Haven, Connecticut area.

All communications on the H2Fuels Grant program should be in writing and submitted to Paul Farrell Attn: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Air Bureau, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 or by e-mail to paul.farrell@ct.gov.

Proposals are due by April 30, 2018.

The Request for Proposals link is available here. The Public Notice Grant Opportunity is available here.

Global Syngas Technologies Conference Call for Abstracts﻿

The Global Syngas Technologies Council (GSTC,
www. globalsyngas.org) is issuing a call for presentations for the 2018 Global Syngas Technologies Conference (October 28-30, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA). GSTC is particularly interested in the following subjects:

Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association -- The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) is the trade association for the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry, and is dedicated to the commercialization of fuel cells and hydrogen energy technologies. Fuel cells and hydrogen energy technologies deliver clean, reliable power to leading edge corporate, academic and public sector users, and FCHEA members are helping to transform the our energy future. FCHEA represents the full global supply chain, including universities, government laboratories and agencies, trade associations, fuel cell materials, components and systems manufacturers, hydrogen producers and fuel distributors, utilities and other end users.

National Energy Technology Laboratory -- The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory system is owned and operated by the DOE. Its mission is "advancing energy options to fuel our economy, strengthen our security, and improve our environment." NETL performs, procures, and partners with universities and the private sector. Together, these efforts focus a wealth of scientific and engineering talent on creating commercially viable solutions to national energy and environmental problems. NETL has expertise in coal, natural gas, and oil technologies, contract and project management, analysis of energy systems, and international energy issues. NETL supports the DOE's mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.

Previous Issue Archive

Click here for an archive of previous issues of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Connection.